Branded
by Rae D. Magdon
Summary: Aria and Tevos invite Liara and Shepard over shortly after their honeymoon to see Tevos's new tattoo, and maybe a bit more. From The Best Entertainment and Match Made In Purgatory universe.


**Pairing:** Aria/Tevos + FemShep/Liara

**Rating: MA+**

**Kink Meme Prompt: **"In honor of the incredible Aria/Tevos fill on Part X, I just wanted to make an official prompt requesting a smut fill involving both of these couples! Be it a simple exhibitionist fill or an all-out foursome, I just want to see some serious sexy."

**Warning: **A quick note... You ladies know what to expect from me (no partner swapping or full-on sex outside of the couple because it ruins my very personal fantasy), but I think you'll enjoy this. Warning for major, major exhibitionism, some of Aria's famous dirty talk, and... just general kinkiness, I guess. Basically, it's just two couples having sex in the same room and dirty-talking back and forth.

**. . .**

**Branded**

**. . .**

"You can't be serious. No one has noticed yet?" Liara asked, laughing behind the rim of her wineglass. "It's been a week and a half since you got back. Surely a coworker must have said something..." She paused while Aria uncorked a fresh bottle of Lessus honey mead, offering everyone refills. When the lip of the bottle came near her own glass, however, she held out a hand. "No thank you, Aria. One is my limit tonight."

"Ah well, thought I'd try again. It's only the third time you've had to tell me. Anyway, it's not like we went out of our way to hide it, either. The two of us just decided to wear them and wait for everyone to catch on. Judging by how long it's taken, the galaxy is pretty fucking stupid."

Tevos laughed and leaned back on the couch, which happened to be the same royal purple color as Aria's new divan in Afterlife. She was happily drunk, a state she didn't enter very often, and she was determined to make the most of her lowered inhibitions. "I'm not complaining. When the news does get out, I'll probably be summoned back to Thessia for a tongue-lashing from the Matriarchs."

"According to some interesting footage I've seen recently, I doubt you'd have to go all the way to Thessia for a tongue-lashing," Shepard said, her hand trailing up and down Liara's clothed thigh.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Don't try to be coy, Shepard. Liara's cute enough to get away with it, but you're too damn annoying already."

"Sometimes," Liara agreed. "But she does have her uses once in a while." The human pretended to pout, but only for a moment.

"I suppose she does," said Aria, her voice surprisingly low and controlled. Even as she bantered back and forth with her guests and her new bondmate, her mind was running through different scenarios. Aria never went in to high-stakes situations without preparing beforehand. And all four of them had done a lot of preparing.

It started with a vid clip. During their honeymoon, Aria had received a heavily encrypted file on her Omnitool titled 'Enjoy Your Wedding Present'. At first, she hadn't been sure what to do with it, but after an hour of unsatisfied curiosity, the key appeared in one of Tevos's forwarded work messages. Putting the two together unlocked fifteen minutes of the most entertaining footage Aria had ever seen. In full view of a camera, Shepard threw Liara onto their bed and – there was no other word for it – completely ravaged her. To Aria's great disappointment, the file self-destructed two hours later.

After getting Tevos's (enthusiastic) permission, she had forwarded a response. A certain recorded call from several months ago fit the bill perfectly, although Aria had bemoaned the loss of her "favorite" pair of leather pants as she re-watched the footage. Another message arrived the next day with a new file named: 'Shepard has decided she likes it when I beg, too'. Several more vids, a few awkward messages discussing boundaries, and one persuasive invitation followed.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to elaborate about Shepard's uses, Liara?" Tevos said. The mead had already lowered her inhibitions and the buzz, combined with the hope that one of her biggest fantasies was about to be realized, made her much less restrained than usual.

"Well..." Liara gave Tevos an embarrassed but strangely seductive smile. "She normally makes herself useful by 'using' me, if you understand my meaning. Not always, of course. But she knows that I prefer– how did you describe it, Shepard?" She turned to the human for a moment, a narrow line creasing her brow before the phrase came to her. "She says I like to be 'tossed around a little'. I'm still not quite sure what that means, but I enjoy it."

Aria pressed her lips together and refrained from commenting for the moment. Liara's virginal act was one of the best she'd ever seen. At least some of it had to be genuine. But the woman had murdered people – a few of them had even been hers. She had also blackmailed, extorted, threatened, and bribed many movers and shakers in the galaxy. However sweet and innocent she might appear now, and however much she might enjoy submitting to Shepard sexually, Liara was as dangerous as she was intelligent. Aria would never make the mistake of underestimating her.

Liara smiled, showing off a row of straight white teeth, and Aria wondered idly how many credits Benezia had spent on Liara's impeccable dental work before a somewhat amusing memory resurfaced. Almost a year ago, back when she and Tevos had first made an exclusive commitment to each other, Tevos had reluctantly admitted to a 'brief infatuation', as she called it, with Matriarch Benezia. Aria found the fact that they were hoping to have a four-way with Benezia's daughter – sort of... not completely... more like a two-couples-in-the-same-room-way... – hilarious in a sick, ironic sense. She had spent the past several days teasing her bondmate about it until Tevos nearly stopped speaking to her.

Tevos seemed to read her mind, because Aria felt a light shove against her shoulder. "Stop that," she muttered, reaching for another glass of wine.

"What?" Aria said, looking to the side and frowning. "I didn't say anything!"

"But you were thinking something. Knowing you, it was bad."

Shepard laughed. "You two just got back from your honeymoon and you're already fighting like you've been bondmates for centuries."

"I'm not sure whether that's good or bad," Tevos admitted. "Where did you two end up going on your honeymoon?' I remember the whole affair was rather hush-hush because you didn't want the press following you."

"We actually had our honeymoon on Earth," Shepard said, grinning at the memory. "No one even noticed me! I guess everyone's used to seeing me in full armor on the news, and nobody really pictures the savior of the galaxy in a bikini, a floppy straw hat, and sunglasses with a piña colada in hand."

"It came in something called a coconut!" Liara added enthusiastically. "Apparently, on the Hawaiian islands, humans occasionally serve novelty drinks in the empty shell of a large, native fruit... despite having 'nut' in the name, it is actually not etymologically a –"

Shepard pressed her fingertips over Liara's lips, effectively silencing her, but she softened the blow with a gentle smile. "I hope your trip to Nevos was nice? I've never been, but I hear its moons are lovely."

"Yeah, but we didn't spend that much time looking at them, to be honest," Aria joked. "Thea did pick up an interesting souvenir, though..."

Tevos's blush was enough to convince Liara to press the issue. She removed Shepard's hand from her mouth and asked, "a souvenir? What kind?"

For a moment, the councilor seemed to freeze despite the alcohol in her system. If she mentioned more about her souvenir, Aria would probably ask her to show it off, and then there would be no turning back. Tevos picked up her half-empty glass and stared into it, sloshing the remnants around the bottom. "Oh, nothing that important," she murmured dismissively, keeping her face down.

Liara leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Now I know it's important."

"Hey, as long as it's not a tattoo on your ass," Shepard joked. Tevos gave her a wide-eyed stare of surprise and Aria started biting down on the inside of her cheek to suppress a laugh. "Oh my God, it is a tattoo."

"Well..." Tevos shrugged, gesturing slightly with her wineglass. Even while drunk, her movements were surprisingly graceful. "It seemed like a good idea at the time..."

There was a moment of complete silence.

"Okay, I have to know what it is," Shepard declared. "The suspense is killing me. I'm going to drive myself crazy trying to figure it out."

Aria reached over to squeeze her bondmate's knee, trying to send some reassurance through touch. "I'll give you a hint, Shepard. She came up with it, but the tattoo is a reference to me."

What no one knew – except for Aria, and Tevos didn't know that she knew – was that the councilor had planned for the tattoo in advance. Aria was, by nature and design, a nosey person, and she regularly browsed the low security sections of Tevos's Omni-tool out of boredom. When a few interesting autocompleted extranet searches came up during the first day of their honeymoon – 'tattoo designs', 'Nevos tattoo parlors' (modified to 'reputable Nevos tattoo parlors reviews' after a few horrifying results), 'Omega station', 'Omega symbol' – Aria had smiled and kept her mouth shut, knowing that any comments from her might make Tevos change her mind.

She even pretended to be surprised when her new bondmate brought her to a touristy tattoo shop on the main strip. Afterward, she had dragged Tevos back to their hotel and made the other side of her ass just as sore. The handprints and teeth marks had faded after a day, and the hickeys after three, but the tattoo remained as a pleasant reminder.

"I suck at guessing games," Shepard said, frowning with impatience. "It's got to be something like, 'Property of Aria T'Loak', but that's way too tacky for you."

"You haven't seen it yet," Tevos reminded her. "It could be something even worse."

Liara slapped her thigh and smiled. "Well, I've deduced where it is, if not what it is! Shepard, you were right before. We haven't seen it in any of the vids so far, but Tevos was on her back in the first one, and Aria was blocking the view when she was on her hands and knees..."

"Tevos was on top in the third one, though..."

"But it was – what did you call it? Reverse cowgirl?"

Aria's eyes narrowed. "Reverse cowgirl? What's a cowgirl?"

"Human animal herder," Liara explained, having received this explanation more than once from Shepard. "Usually, the term is cowboy. Despite how unglamorous that job sounds, they were actually admired in human culture for their bravery and lawless ways."

"Lawlessness? I like that."

"I still want to see the tattoo," Shepard pressed, obviously not wanting the subject to change.

Tevos set down her glass and looked at Aria, shifting uncomfortably on the couch. Her tattoo had stopped hurting days ago, but it felt surprisingly tender now. Probably the result of nerves and an overactive imagination.

"What are you looking at me for? I'm not going to order you to do it." The Queen of Omega smirked. "That would make it too easy. Make the choice yourself."

Tevos heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Well, since you're going to see it eventually anyway..." She stood up and turned around, revealing the back of her dress. "Liara? Would you help me with my zipper?"

This time, it was Liara's turn to look at Shepard for reassurance. The Commander nodded, and when Liara got up from the couch, she gave her lover an encouraging slap on the behind. After a brief squeak of surprise, she covered the few feet of distance between their seats and tucked her chin over Tevos's shoulder. "If you don't want to do this, I won't be disappointed," Liara said beside the folds of her crest, touching but not pulling on the zipper's tab. It was a lie, of course, but Tevos appreciated the gesture anyway. She shivered slightly and dipped her head, all too aware of the warm body pressed against her back.

"No, it's all right," she said, a little too quickly. She smiled. "I am rather proud of my tattoo..."

"You mean my tattoo," Aria quipped, watching with unconcealed interest as Liara unzipped the back of Tevos's clinging purple dress. When the fabric peeled apart far enough, it dropped to pool around her feet. Liara let out a small, almost inaudible gasp and pulled back a few inches when she realized that Tevos wasn't wearing anything underneath.

"Liara, I can't see what the tattoo is if you're standing there," Shepard complained.

Feeling the start of a blush burn across her cheeks, Liara stepped to one side and looked down. She smiled when she saw the dark purple symbol, almost the same color as Aria's skin. The tattoo was a blocky 'O' shape, with a straight line cutting through the bottom. "Oh! That's clever."

"Sexy," Shepard agreed. "You know, it looks a little like the Greek symbol except for the bottom."

Liara frowned in confusion. "Greek symbol? Explain."

"The human name for Omega is 'Omega'." Shepard gave dip of her ear two brief taps before the second use of the word 'Omega', sending a wireless pulse to Liara's translator so that it wouldn't convert the word from English to Armali's local dialect. Asari called the station 'the heart of evil', and it was normally translated as such. Truthfully, Liara knew enough English to get by without her translator, and she occasionally turned it off to practice. "Omega is also an ancient human letter. The very last one in the Greek alphabet."

"You know," Tevos said, raising her voice slightly since she was facing away from Shepard and Liara, "I feel a little awkward standing here completely naked while you three are fully clothed..."

"But we're admiring your tattoo," Shepard joked.

"Not just the tattoo," Liara said, one of her hands resting on Tevos's naked hip. She gave Shepard a mock glare, but she couldn't hide the amusement in her voice. "I have to admit, the idea of being... permanently branded with your lover's mark is very... appealing."

"Arousing," Shepard corrected. "Thinking about getting an N7 tattoo, Liara? It would go well with my dogtags..." The sight of Liara wearing nothing but her dogtags had to be one of Shepard's favorite things in the galaxy.

"Did it hurt?" Liara asked, running two of her fingers around the curve of Tevos's waist and ghosting over the lines of the tattoo.

"Not nearly as much as my face tattoos," Tevos said, trembling a little at the light touch. "I got one of the family designs when I was forty. Those were painful, and I ended up going through a whole tube of medigel."

"I didn't have medigel for mine," Aria said. "I got the forehead and lip done in prison."

Shepard tilted her head, looking past Tevos at Aria's face. "You were in prison? I'm surprised you let them take you."

"I was there on purpose, doing a hit. One of my early jobs as a freelance merc." She smiled at the memory. "Breaking out was a lot more fun than going in."

"Ahem..." Tevos cleared her throat gently, turning to face Liara and offering Shepard and Aria a very nice view of her naked profile. "Not that this conversation isn't fascinating, but the rest of you still have your clothes on... I'm feeling a little vulnerable." The councilor chewed on the stripe that split her bottom lip, kicking her dress away from her ankles.

Shepard sat up straighter and shifted forward on the couch expectantly. "Liara. Strip."

Liara only paused for a moment before sliding out of her shoes. Once her feet were bare, she folded her arms protectively around her stomach for a moment and turned around. "I need you to undo my dress as well," she murmured, gesturing toward the straps at the back of her neck. It was a simple knot that Liara probably could have untied herself, but Tevos didn't question the invitation. She smiled and stepped forward, settling her hands on Liara's warm shoulders and squeezing briefly before undoing the knot. Since the back of the dress was open, its entire top half fell down once Tevos released the straps. She felt Liara tremble slightly against her hands as she pushed gently at the bunched fabric around her waist, easing it to the floor. Unlike her, Liara had decided to wear panties. Lacy, completely impractical, very attractive looking black ones.

Aria hummed her approval, the corners of her mouth twitching up. "Very nice," she drawled, lifting her hand and twirling it slightly. When Liara glanced to Shepard for direction, the human nodded her head in agreement, wordlessly offering her permission. Liara made a slow circle, even gaining enough confidence to pop her hip slightly and put her hand on her waist at the end.

Liara's display, while not a full striptease, was enticing enough to convince Shepard to stand up and start tugging at her own dress. Liara laughed. "The Great Commander Shepard, the Godslayer, Savior of the Galaxy, apparently can't take her own clothes off," she teased, shaking her head and crossing the short distance to stand at Shepard's side. There wasn't a lot of room to maneuver, since the two couches were so close, with only enough space for their legs and the table in between. She brushed aside a lock of Shepard's hair and tucked it behind her ear. "Let me help."

With Liara's help, Shepard managed to strip out of her dress and underwear in just over a minute. Once her job was done, Liara gave Shepard's shoulder a kiss, inadvertently stepping out of the way and offering Tevos and Aria their first proper view.

"Goddess... is that...? I'm not sure what to –"

Shepard lifted her head at Tevos's outburst. She gave Liara a confused look, and the other asari burst out laughing. "Remember how surprised I was by your hair before Ilos, Shepard? Humans have hair everywhere, Thea. Under their arms, along their legs, and above their pubic bones."

Tevos frowned, circling the table to stand beside Shepard as well and get a closer look. "But Shepard does not have hair anywhere else except on top of her head..."

"That's because I remove it," Shepard explained, laughing now that she was in on the joke. "And shape what I have down there, too. This is just a little strip."

Liara smirked and leaned in slightly closer to Tevos, whispering as if she was revealing a great secret. "Sometimes, when she gets bored with how it looks, she takes it all off for a while."

Before she realized what she was doing, Tevos watched her own hands reach out to touch Shepard's arm, her eyes widening in fascination as she felt the tiny, soft hairs there. Even the texture of Shepard's skin was different than an asari's. "I've watched vids with human women in them –"

"Oh, the actresses in porn always take it all off," Aria said, just as amused by her bondmate's incorrect assumptions as Liara and Shepard.

Tevos turned around, removing her hand from Shepard's arm. "Wait, you knew about this and didn't think to warn me?" she asked, sounding only a little betrayed.

"And miss your reaction? Never."

With three pairs of eyes on her, Aria suddenly realized that she was the only one still wearing clothes. Standing up from the couch, she shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it playfully at Tevos's head. The councilor caught it and draped it over her bare shoulders, smiling at the familiar texture of leather against her naked skin. "There, you match now," Aria teased, gesturing at the symbol on the back.

"Your jacket reminds me of my dog tags," Shepard said. She tapped the cold metal discs that rested just above her lover's collarbone, and Liara's eyes drifted shut for a moment. When Aria gave Shepard a look, she continued. "Hotter when the bondmate is wearing 'em. Right?"

Aria's gaze lingered on Tevos for a moment, still draped in leather even though she wasn't bothering to cover herself, and then began undoing the back of her corset. "Right."

"I don't know how you stand wearing that thing," said Liara, unable to look away as Aria squeezed herself out of the garment, tugging at a few straps in the process.

"Oh, I had to wear a lot worse as a dancer. Great exercise, though, and working a pole was pretty fun for a while." When the corset came off, Aria tilted her head down to watch as she unbuttoned her pants, but she still caught Liara's happily scandalized expression from the corner of her eye. She lifted her chin for a moment and winked as she began swiveling her hips, peeling off even more leather. "Maybe if you can get Shepard to agree, I'll give you a demonstration tomorrow. I still put some of my old skills to use once in a while. It's a fun party trick. Or bedroom trick..."

Shepard and Liara both glanced at Tevos, who hid her face behind the sleeve of Aria's jacket. When it became apparent that they weren't going to let the comment slide, she snorted briefly. "She does put on a good show. I'm biased, of course, but I think she's better than most of the maidens working for her."

"Who do you think teaches the new ones?" Aria let out a short bark of triumph as the pants finally came off. In her opinion, the only disadvantage to sexy clothes was the amount of effort required to remove them. Once she had nudged them out of the way with an impatient foot, Aria stood up to her full height, letting her arms swing loose by her sides. "Okay, ladies. One more chance to call this off and just watch Blasto completely shitfaced."

A year ago, she would have been all too eager to indulge in a night of debauchery with two beautiful asari and an equally stunning human, but now, she was cautious. Even though she was directing everyone's actions for the most part (her scene, her apartment, her rules), she was really just orchestrating Tevos's fantasy. Tevos had been the one to set the boundaries they agreed on – although Shepard and Liara would have suggested them regardless. Apparently, they both had identical, unwavering possessive streaks – and she had extended the initial invitation. Group sex wasn't new to Aria by any means, but sort-of-not-really fake group sex with someone she had pledged to love for the next several centuries was a lot more complicated.

Liara was the first to respond, and she did so without words. She hooked both thumbs in the waistband of her panties and pulled them down past her knees, kicking them backwards until they were half underneath the couch. "You aren't the only one that has fantasized about this situation," she said to Tevos, gently tugging at the jacket still draped around the councilor's shoulders. It fell to the floor as well, and Liara's fingertips traced along the inside of Tevos's naked wrist. "I want this, too. Badly."

"She does," Shepard added to break some of the tension, tapping the side of her skull. "I've seen it. God, have I seen it. The whole exhibitionist thing never really crossed my mind before, but after watching it play out in her head so many times... I guess it's contagious." She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Besides, now I can brag to everyone that I had three asari at once!" Liara aimed a swat at Shepard's stomach, which the human dodged with a quick backward step.

Tevos smiled, far more confident even without the comforting presence of Aria's jacket. She drew closer to Liara for a moment and brushed her lips across the maiden's cheek, knowing that anything more serious would probably send both of them skittering back to square one and break the mood. "Thank you..."

The color of Liara's face darkened with an attractive flush, but she smiled. "My pleasure. Literally."

"Are all of you done talking about your feelings now?" Aria's impatient voice came from the other side of the table. Once she had everyone's attention, she snapped her fingers and pointed to the space beside her. "Thea, come here."

Tevos stepped hurriedly around the edge of the low table, although she was careful not to catch her shin on the edge. She was pleasantly surprised when Aria offered her the luxury of touch right away, holding out one arm and allowing her to curl against her bondmte's side. She tucked her cheek against Aria's shoulder and tried to ignore the low throb between her legs and the tickle of excitement at the back of her mind. Both had been distracting her all evening, even before Shepard and Liara arrived.

"Shepard, Liara, safewords?" Aria asked as she explored the curve of Tevos's naked side with one hand.

Liara let out a giggle, which she tried to stifle with her hand, and Shepard rolled her eyes. "Can't we pick a different –"

"No! This is the one we agreed on years ago," Liara protested.

"But..."

Liara shook her head. "It's Mako."

If Aria had possessed eyebrows, she would have raised them. Instead, the tattoo in the center of her forehead shifted slightly. "Mako?"

"The name of an older Alliance ground vehicle. The word is terrifying enough to stop any scene," she said.

"How is a vehicle terrifying?" Aria asked, genuinely curious, although she was still impatient to get started.

"Because Shepard always drove it." She turned to Shepard, who was still pretending to be upset. "You should be glad I didn't pick 'Truck', since that almost killed us several times as well."

"Mine is Citadel." There was a long, silent pause, and Tevos watched the expressions on Liara and Shepard's faces change as the full meaning of the word sank in. Although the Citadel was currently being rebuilt, and a few survivors had actually been rescued from the lower wards even after the Reapers took control of the station, it was still a macabre choice. Thousands of deaths the first time. Almost ten million the second time. And they were partially her fault. "I deserve – no, I need the reminder."

Before the mood could shift permanently from sexually charged to bleak, Aria revealed her own safe word. "Purgatory."

"What? I thought you hated that place," said Shepard, remembering how loudly and frequently Aria had complained about the Nightclub. After a moment's consideration, she sat back down on the second couch and spread her legs, gesturing for Liara to climb into her lap.

Aria watched them for a moment before answering. "More than hated. If I could think of a stronger word, I'd use it. Something good came of staying in that dump, though." She smiled at Tevos, sliding her hand down the other asari's back and giving her ass a friendly pinch. "Wasn't expecting to get a bondmate out of my unanticipated trip to the Citadel." She lowered the pitch of her voice, but made sure it was still clearly audible to everyone in the room. "Especially one so... obedient."

Shepard's hands began wandering over Liara's body, running up and down her arms, caressing her shoulders, and rubbing across her stomach. "Obedient?" she repeated, more than experienced enough to see where Aria was going. The two looked at each other, communicating silently. "Somehow, I doubt it. She was never all that good at listening to anything I told her."

"Oh, really? Perhaps she just needed the right touch..." Aria said, running her nails up the back of Tevos's thigh and making her hiss. "And a little discipline."

"Show me."

For just a moment, Aria smiled, unable to hide her eagerness, but she quickly schooled her expression into something more serious. One of her fingers pointed imperiously toward the edge of the divan behind them. "Present."

It took a moment for Tevos's limbs to cooperate, but once she found the courage to move, they followed the command almost automatically. She was used to taking orders from Aria, this order in particular, and even though they weren't alone, she managed to drape herself over the divan's cushioned arm without faltering. The knowledge that she was being watched made her bury her face in the cushions to hide the purple flush beneath her cheek tattoos.

"Pity she was never this obedient back when I had to deal with the Council's bullshit," Shepard commented from the opposite couch, her hand continuing to stroke Liara's inner thighs. Her bondmate's eyes were already darkening, on the edge of black, and she squirmed in Shepard's lap. The human gave her leg a quick pinch, and Liara's thighs closed reflexively. "Not yet, Liara. And keep your legs apart." Reluctantly, she parted her knees.

"Your pet is pretty when she blushes," Aria commented with a smirk, her hand resting comfortably on Tevos's lower back, massaging the muscles on either side of her spine to relax her and occasionally reaching down to squeeze her ass. "Speaking of which... lift your head."

With a shaky breath, Tevos tilted her chin up, bracing some of her weight on her elbows and staring straight ahead. It was easier than looking at Shepard and Liara across the table. She tried to relax by reminding herself that the other couple had already watched several vid clips of her and Aria doing far worse things, but somehow, having them in the same room made everything more intense – her nervousness as well as her arousal.

Aria sensed both as she brought her hand between Tevos's legs, lightly skimming the wetness there with her fingers and giving the hardened ridge of her clitoris a few teasing flicks. "That's better," she said, continuing with the lazy strokes of her hand as she turned her head just a few degrees, keeping Liara and Shepard well within the comfortable range of her vision. She didn't want to miss the show. "You know, this has been one of her biggest fantasies ever since the first time I had her. She found out about the camera mid-meld."

"I know. Liara still has that clip. She can't bring herself to delete it like the others... She went down on me like you wouldn't believe right after she watched it the first time." Shepard felt herself twitch at the memory. Liara had been insatiable that night, full of low growls and needy moans instead of the soft, high-pitched whimpers that were currently escaping as Shepard's fingers drew closer and closer to where she needed them.

"Really?" Aria chuckled, sliding one of her fingers past the tight ring of muscle at Tevos's entrance. Her eyes fluttered for a moment as she enjoyed the silky warmth gripping her, and she began a soft, slow thrusting motion that didn't give her lover anywhere near enough pressure or force. "She also likes it when you bite her, right?"

Shepard nodded. "Especially when it leaves marks." With a firm hand, she tilted Liara's head to the side, forcing her to display the line of purple marks running the length of her neck. "Hmm... I think I see an empty spot here, beneath my dogtags..." She pulled aside the short chain that Liara wore, revealing a small piece of unmarked blue skin, and grazed her teeth against the pulse point there.

"Shepard," Liara gasped, her hips bucking forward and her thighs tensing as she felt teeth latch on to the column of her throat. The teasing touches to her legs, the reminder of the tags she wore, the biting, and the visual of Tevos bent over the divan, completely at the mercy of Aria's hand... it was unbearable. "Please."

Aria grinned, adding a second finger and smiling as Tevos shifted, her hips pushing back against the new stretch. Hearing Liara beg was almost as sexy as hearing her own lover plead for more... Almost. She couldn't resist teasing Liara for a moment. It was nice to see the Shadow Broker helpless for once. "It looks like someone's jealous of you, Thea."

Tevos whimpered with embarrassment and tried to bury her face back in the cushions, but as soon as she did, Aria pulled out and gripped the back of her crest, forcing her head up again. "Aria... I – I need..." she panted, but her words were quickly muffled as wet fingers covered her mouth.

"You don't get to talk unless I ask you a direct question. For now, though, it's your turn to experience a little jealousy." Once she made sure that Tevos had turned her head to get a clear view, Aria gave Shepard a nod. Liara yelped and her abdominal muscles clenched as searching fingers finally slipped inside of her and curled forward. Even though it was Shepard filling her, something about the way Aria had controlled the 'when' was surprisingly exciting.

"I'm glad your wife is enjoying herself, Shepard. That is the human term, right?" Aria said after she caught herself admiring the contrast between Shepard and Liara's skin tones for a moment too long. She gripped Tevos's hip with her free hand and her chin with the other, forcing her to keep looking. "It's a pity my bondmate couldn't be patient." Tevos let out a soft whimper behind Aria's hand, her face burning with embarrassment, arousal, and the unfairness of it all. Liara had been begging for contact, too, but only she was being denied now.

Aria and Shepard exchanged glances. "You want us to show her what she's missing?" the Commander asked, pretending to ignore the way Liara squirmed in her lap and pushed greedily into the slick palm of her hand.

"I'm not going to lie. I want to watch for purely selfish reasons. But if it teaches her a lesson..." She removed her hand from Tevos's hip and brought it down sharply against her right cheek, enjoying the slight flinch of surprise.

"Spankings never work as discipline on Liara," Shepard said, her voice remaining carefully controlled even as she held her hand perfectly still. "She enjoys them too much."

"If you want to turn a spanking into a punishment, don't fuck her or let her come afterward. The denial is the real punishment. Speaking of denial..." Aria let her voice trail off, removing her hand from Tevos's mouth. She was pleased when her bondmate didn't turn away again. In fact, her large green eyes were darker and wider than Aria had ever seen them outside of the meld.

Shepard pressed another kiss to Liara's throat, gentler this time, and Aria was surprisingly touched by the small gesture of intimacy and reassurance in the midst of a scene. "Well, we want to be good guests, don't we?" she whispered. Liara sobbed in disappointment when Shepard's fingers pulled out of her, but quieted down a little when she realized that her lover was simply adjusting the placement of her hand, moving her arm between their bodies instead of around her waist. "Go ahead, baby. Ride me. And you have my permission to be loud."

Those words opened the floodgates. Supporting her weight on her knees, Liara began sliding up and down on Shepard's fingers. She couldn't resist glancing down for a moment to watch them vanish inside of her body before reappearing again, glistening with wetness. Liara was only a little disappointed when she realized that Shepard wasn't moving at all. If she was going to get off, she would need to do all the work herself.

As she watched Liara's thighs flex, Aria felt her mouth go dry. It wasn't just the sight of a beautiful, naked asari being pleasured by a good-looking human. She could go to the extranet for that if she was in the mood. But the sounds... The high-pitched mewls, the soft hitch of breath, the loud, low groans every time Liara sank down. Aria hadn't known it was possible for anyone to make such sexy noises, her own bondmate excluded.

And Tevos wasn't exactly being quiet, either.

The councilor chewed on her lower lip, her own thighs twitching as she watched Liara receive the pleasure she had been denied. She felt her inner muscles pulse with jealousy, and somehow, Aria noticed even though both of her hands were settled securely around Tevos's waist. She loved it when Aria grabbed her there, especially while she was wearing one of their toys. It made her feel so deliciously used when those strong fingers dug into her hips, holding her in place for every thrust. But now, without a toy or fingers or tongue to ease the deep, throbbing ache, Tevos also found Aria's grip frustrating.

Perhaps the ache would have been bearable if she had just been watching Liara and Shepard, or if she had only been aware of Aria's presence behind her and the strong hands holding her waist, but she couldn't handle both at once. Biting down even harder on the stripe that ran through her lip, Tevos began to curl her toes in frustration. She simply couldn't bear to hold still.

"She's squirming more than you are, Liara," Shepard laughed as she moved her thumb into a more convenient position. The new stimulation made Liara gasp and cry out, pausing her steady up-and-down motion and shuddering with barely restrained need. "Or maybe not. Spread your legs wider and keep fucking yourself on my hand."

Liara blushed, adjusting herself on Shepard's fingers as warm breath grazed her cheek. For some reason, when she had imagined this scenario, she had expected Shepard to take her while Aria and Tevos watched, and vice versa. It was slightly strange to be taking her own pleasure this way, and for some reason, it made her feel even more vulnerable.

"Thanks for the view, Shepard," Aria purred from just a few feet away. "All of those bite marks on her inner thighs are delicious."

Liara squeaked and paused for a moment, not sure whether to try and cover herself, but a well-placed hand on her waist coaxed her into moving again. "I try," Shepard said, grinning over Liara's shoulder.

"I appreciate it," Aria forced out as she tried to retain her composure. Something about seeing Liara's modesty stripped away as she rode Shepard's fingers was powerfully arousing, and it wasn't just because both of her guests were attractive. She found herself growing impatient, and since denying Tevos meant denying herself, she decided that her lover's punishment needed to end.

"Do you think you're ready to be good now?" Aria asked, releasing her grip on Tevos's waist and bringing her right hand between their bodies. She raked her nails along Tevos's inner thigh, smirking when her lover twitched away and then tried to press closer.

"Yes." Short, breathless, and to the point. On another night, Aria might have been satisfied, but this was a special occasion. They had guests, and she didn't want Shepard – or worse, Liara – to walk away unimpressed. She was going to milk this scene for all it was worth. Besides, even though she was embarrassed now, Aria knew that Tevos wouldn't have it any other way.

"Then get up." Aria almost felt sorry for Tevos when she let out an unhappy, choked sob of frustration. Almost. But not sorry enough to change her mind. "Well?"

Trying her best to hurry, Tevos slid backwards off of the couch's arm and stood on shaking legs. Without being prompted, she fell to her knees and held her arms behind her back, lowering her head even though she wanted to keep watching Shepard and Liara. Silently, she waited for Aria to pose her or give her a direct command.

Casually, Aria took a seat on the couch and spread her legs, leaning back and stretching out her arms. "Since Liara is putting on such a great show over there," Aria deliberately slowed down her speech and locked eyes with Liara for a moment before she was forced to look away in embarrassment, "I think I deserve to relax for a while and watch." Liara sped up her motion in Shepard's lap, gasping every time she sank down onto Shepard's fingers. She was obviously close, but unable to find any kind of release without the meld.

With some difficulty, Aria tore her attention away from Liara and Shepard to glance back at her own lover. Tevos had lifted her chin and was staring up at her with large, dark green eyes. If there was any sight more arousing than the one occurring a few feet away, it was Tevos looking at her like that, sweetly awaiting instruction. Ever since their bondmate ceremony a few weeks ago, Aria had experienced several moments of happiness where she knew that marrying Tevos had been the right decision. This was one of those moments.

Aria didn't miss the spark of arousal in Tevos's eyes. Using her mouth on Aria, with or without a toy, was one of Tevos's favorite things, and the thought of doing it in front of someone else made her squirm as she sat back on her heels. Abandoning her casual pose, Aria shifted forward on the couch and gestured to the empty space between her legs. "You'd better get started if you want to come at all tonight. You haven't earned anything from me yet."

Tevos didn't need any more encouragement. She shifted forward and moved to caress Aria's bare thighs, but found her hands pushed away. Tendrils of purple light braceleted her wrists and dragged them behind her back again. "Just your mouth," Aria said, feeling slightly pleased with herself when Liara responded with a gasp.

"If you're good, maybe I'll tie your wrists later," Shepard said, capitalizing on her lover's moment of weakness. "You always come so hard when I do..."

"Yes," Liara murmured, a little frantically. "Commander, I –"

Aria chuckled. "Commander? She calls you Commander when you fuck her? That wasn't in any of the vids I saw," she teased, but her laughter trailed off into a groan as she felt the first brush of Tevos's warm tongue between her legs. "Goddess," she hissed, gripping the back of Tevos's crest and holding on tight as soft lips wrapped around the ridge of her clit. "Yes, suck me... just like that."

Tevos let out a low, satisfied hum as she followed Aria's instructions, using just a hint of teeth, exactly the way she knew her lover preferred. The sooner she got Aria worked up, the sooner her bondmate would be forced to meld and share her orgasm. Unlike Shepard, Aria couldn't come without a mind to link with, and when she came, so did Tevos.

"She looks like she enjoys doing that almost as much as Liara," Shepard commented. If anyone had told her years ago that she would get to watch the asari councilor eagerly and even lovingly pleasure a known criminal, she would have called them crazy. In the beginning, before they knew each other on a personal level, Shepard had thought Tevos was cold and arrogant. Apparently, all it took was another beautiful, powerful asari to make her thaw.

Aria's lips curled in a smile. Surely, this had to be the height of hedonism – buzzed from expensive wine, sitting back on an inappropriately comfortable couch and watching another gorgeous couple fuck while her own lover serviced her. And 'service' was exactly the right verb for this situation. "While we're on the subject of Liara enjoying herself..."

Shepard took the hint and began actively moving her hand, smiling when Liara tensed in response to the faster, deeper thrusts. "You really are cruel, aren't you?"

"No," Aria drawled as she pulled Tevos's head closer, shuddering when her tongue hit a particularly sensitive spot. "If I was really cruel, I'd make her watch the two of you come while I fucked her and denied her the meld."

When Liara heard 'denied her the meld', she stopped moving on Shepard's lap and gave her bondmate a frantic, desperate look over her shoulder. "Please, Commander –" She was too far-gone to notice or be embarrassed by Aria's snort of amusement, "– let me Join with you." Her eyes were already swimming in blackness, and Shepard knew it was all she could do to hold herself back. Once or twice, she had accidentally pushed Liara past her limits and forced her to meld before she gave permission. During slower, tender moments or in their day-to-day lives, Liara never had to ask. She could meld with Shepard whenever she liked. But during scenes, she had to beg for it. Explicitly.

"And?"

"And please let me come for you."

Something about Liara's request made Tevos redouble her efforts, capturing Aria's clit between her lips and pulling. She squirmed on top of her heels, desperately wanting some kind of pressure or stimulation. Since her hands were still trapped behind her back, she couldn't find any sort of relief without Aria's help.

Shepard was silent for a moment, obviously mulling something over, and after a few seconds, she came to a decision. "That's sweet, Liara," she said, picking up the thrusting motion she had abandoned, "but I'm not the one you should be asking this time."

With arousal clouding her thoughts, it took Liara a few seconds to realize what Shepard meant, but when she did, she tried to look over her shoulder again. Anywhere but at Aria. But then Shepard's thumb settled over her and began rubbing in fast, deliberate circles, and she forced herself to meet Aria's gaze.

"Please..."

Aria remained still, her hand idly caressing the back of Tevos's crest as she felt her lover's tongue move down to press inside of her. Somehow, she managed to keep her hips from bucking and her thighs from closing over the sides of Tevos's head. She wanted her bondmate to hear every word of this.

"Please allow me..." Liara lost her voice again for a moment. Aria waited, resisting the temptation to tease. She didn't want to break the moment.

It wasn't until Shepard's hand stopped moving again that Liara finally put a complete sentence together. "Please let me come!"

Aria waited a beat, and then nodded her head at Shepard, who seemed amused by her lover's embarrassment. "Join with her. And you..." she pressed her fingers in the gaps between Tevos's fronds. "Don't you dare fucking stop. Keep licking me."

Liara was so desperate that she completely missed the rest of Aria's instructions after the word 'join'. She practically threw her mind into Shepard's, burying herself in a familiar blanket of thoughts and feelings, drawing from them, deeper, deep enough to take from the very essence of her.

Shepard gasped, experiencing all of Liara's unfulfilled desire in a rush, and suddenly regretted teasing her bondmate for so long. She tried to stretch the moment out, delay the inevitable end, but Liara was completely out of control and sent both of them crashing over the edge. Their vision blurred, and for a moment, they could only see a flash of black light with smeared edges, but they remained aware of being watched. Somehow, it intensified everything.

As she heard the twin cries of release behind her, Tevos pulled her head away, panting heavily and squirming. "Oh fuck me," she mumbled into Aria's thigh, taking in large gulps of air. She wasn't sure how Aria could stand it, since her bondmate was the one with a full view of the show and the attention of a loving tongue. Her own need to meld was almost overpowering. Anything to feel or see more.

"Soon, sweetheart," Aria promised, whispering urgently, but softly enough that Shepard and Liara couldn't hear as they came down from their shared orgasm. Truthfully, she was already near her breaking point, but wanted to try and hold out just a little longer. Tevos always liked it better when Aria made her wait.

Over on the other couch, Liara dismounted Shepard's hand with a swing of her leg, dropping to her knees and assuming the same position as Tevos. Obviously, Aria thought as she watched them, Shepard and Liara had been trading a few ideas through the meld. Without wasting any time, Liara bent her head and extended an eager purple tongue, not even stopping to lick her lips before burying her face between Shepard's thighs.

The low hums and slightly muffled mewls coming from Liara as she began licking were louder than any of the sounds Shepard made. Straining to stay silent, the human lifted her head and shared a look with Aria, mouthing something over Liara's head. When Aria responded with a confused frown – watching Shepard form voiceless English words wasn't enough for her translator – she gestured at Tevos's wrists, then Liara's.

Aria suddenly understood and gave a brief nod. That could definitely work. With a pulse of crackling purple light, she used her biotics to drag Liara's hands behind her back, delighting in the sharp intake of breath that her action caused. Shepard caressed the back of Liara's crest, a soft contrast to the unyielding biotic restraints around her wrists. "Relax. You were so good for me earlier that I thought you deserved a treat." Liara didn't pull away to speak, and decided to demonstrate her thanks by speeding up the movement of her lips and tongue.

Even though she knew it wasn't allowed, Tevos couldn't resist turning her head a little to try and see what was happening. Normally, Aria would have punished such disobedience swiftly and without mercy, but she knew that Tevos was fast approaching the limit of her patience. Her own need for release was bordering on painful. "Oh no you don't..." she said, yanking her lover's head back in place. "I haven't come yet."

With a renewed sense of hope, Tevos pulled Aria's sensitive bud between her lips again, running her tongue over the firm ridge. She wasn't disappointed. A familiar presence began pushing at the edges of her mind, a tingling, even pleasant pressure at the back of her head trying to force its way in. Tevos dropped her barriers as soon as she felt the mental caress, opening her mind to Aria's and letting their eyes swirl with the deep, glossy black color of the meld.

Although they were always pleasurable, not all of Tevos and Aria's Joinings were the same. Sometimes, they pulled so close together that they couldn't tell where one of them ended and the other began. Identities blurred, and it was even difficult to distinguish their individual bodies. Other times, they relished in their differences instead of folding into one, knowing all of each other and enjoying the beauty of the contrast. This time, as they melded deeper, Aria clearly felt her eyes being borrowed by the part of 'them' that was Tevos. She savored their joined pleasure, sharing her lover's physical response to the visual display of power and everything it represented.

Keenly aware of the fact that they were being watched, Shepard reach down to tug on her bondmate's dogtags, and Liara continued what she had been doing in earnest. Even though it was a common enough gesture between them during sex, part of it was for show this time. Shepard remained cognizant of the fact that she and Liara had been invited to fulfill a specific fantasy. Perhaps next time, things would be a little more casual and organic, but for now, she was content to play the part she had signed up for and let Aria lead the way.

_'And if that's how we see them...'_ Aria thought at Tevos, letting the words beat insistently within their linked minds.

"Then that is how they see..." Tevos murmured aloud, but she didn't need to finish her sentence. Instead, she abandoned her words and formed a seal around Aria's clit, ignoring the way the edges of her teeth dug into her upper lip as she sucked.

Aria took a deep breath before responding, forcing herself to ignore Tevos's warm mouth and tongue. When she spoke, she raised her voice just enough to be heard by the couple on the other couch. "Yes. Imagine how they see you... The proud councilor, kneeling between my legs, my hand pushing at the back of your crest and the lower half of your face glistening because you were just licking me like one of Omega's pricier whores." Tevos squirmed and flexed her bare feet, unable to hold still. Between the words and the slightly muted sensation of her own tongue, she was swiftly approaching the point of no return. Her only consolation was that Aria was even closer.

"They can even see your new tattoo," Aria continued, her voice hoarse with possessive need as she strained not to tip over the edge too soon. "Or should I say my tattoo? My permanent brand. Because you belong to me."

That simple declaration of ownership was too much. Their orgasm started within Aria, but Tevos felt it echoed in her own body just as strongly, luxuriating in every contraction as she strained against the biotic fields holding her wrists. Somehow, she managed to keep her lips wrapped around Aria's ridge despite the unsteady bucking of both their hips.

A string of improvised profanity spilled from Aria's lips, and she barely managed to wait for the heavy pulses of pleasure to fade before she stood, yanking Tevos up with her and dropping the restraints around her wrists. Tevos was breathing hard, covered in a light sheen of sweat, the muscles in her lower belly still twitching with shared aftershocks and need. "Up! I want you standing. Head down. Feet shoulder-width apart."

That command made Liara repeat Tevos's earlier mistake, and she tore herself away from the warmth between Shepard's thighs in order to watch the readjustment. Shepard squeezed the back of her neck, giving the chain bearing her dogtags another warning tug. "Ah ah, Thea might be finished, but you're not. Use your fingers for a while if you want to watch that badly."

"If it's all right with you, she can definitely watch. In fact, I think I'm in the mood to show my bondmate off," Aria panted, releasing Liara's wrists as well. She gave Shepard a predatory grin that was full of teeth and hunger. "I hear that _your_ bondmate is quite handy with singularities, by the way."

Shepard caught on immediately, and so did Tevos, whose breath skated audibly over her lips in surprise. "I've seen her throw Cerberus soldiers around like broken dolls. Holding one asari in the air for a few minutes is nothing. Liara?"

"My pleasure. And yours, I think," Liara added for Tevos's benefit. Twisting her newly freed hands to work some of the soreness out, she climbed to her feet and extended one arm with a quick snap at the elbow, sending a bluish-black ball of energy shooting from her outstretched palm. It stopped just above Tevos's head, and the councilor tried to keep her muscles relaxed as she adjusted to the curious sensation of weightlessness that followed. Once her target was neatly suspended a foot off the ground, Liara sat down on the couch and pressed herself against Shepard's side.

"I've always had a thing for girls that know how to use their biotics for more than just fighting," said Shepard, unable to hide her wide smile as she lifted Liara's hand and kissed the center of her palm. She dragged the tip of her tongue along Liara's inner wrist, laughing softly at the resulting shiver before bringing that talented hand back between her legs. "Get to work, beautiful. If you want to watch the show, you've got to keep me entertained."

This was somewhat familiar territory – in fact, Liara had offered Shepard a helping hand the last time they traded vid clips with Aria and Tevos. She had dropped to her knees and finished the Commander off with her mouth then, but a vid file could always be replayed later. Liara didn't want to miss a second of this, so her fingers would have to suffice.

"She does seem to have a talent for biotics, among other things," Aria observed as she watched Liara's fingertips begin rubbing in quick, clockwise circles. "Has she ever used this one on you?" Biotics crackled and sparked around Aria's fingers, and the subtle sound of buzzing made both Tevos and Liara take in sharp breaths of anticipation. Even Shepard's eyebrows lifted, and Aria sensed that she was intimately familiar with that bedroom trick.

"I'll take that as a yes..." she drawled, stroking between Tevos's spread legs for a few moments and coating her hand with wetness. When she pulled away, Tevos chewed on her lower lip and closed her eyes tight, unable to hide the strain in her face. It was embarrassing and exhilarating to be displayed like this, suspended in midair like some kind of ornament, naked and completely vulnerable to Aria's touch.

"Now that's just mean," Liara whispered, speeding up her own hand as she watched Aria's glistening, buzzing fingertips trail back and forth between Tevos's hipbones, stroking the sensitive band of muscle there and making the councilor writhe and arch against nothing.

"Jealous?" Shepard teased, wrapping her arm around Liara's shoulder and dipping her head to bite the firm cord of muscle connecting the asari's shoulder to her neck.

Liara hissed for a moment before relaxing into the bite, never stopping the motion of her fingers as they rubbed insistently over Shepard's sensitive bud. "Perhaps..."

The low conversation made Tevos open her eyes, and she immediately wished that she hadn't. Even without looking, she had felt Shepard and Liara's eyes on her, following the heat of Aria's wandering hand, but actually seeing them – watching them watch her... It created a deep, insistent tug between her legs. Meanwhile, Aria's wet, humming fingers had wandered up to her breasts, circling one of her nipples, but deliberately avoiding the tip. Aria knew that she preferred harsh, rough treatment, especially when it came to her breasts, and was purposely denying her what she needed.

As always, Aria seemed to read her desires in her body language even without the Joining. She removed her hand again, and this time, Tevos couldn't swallow back her cry of disappointment. "Ooh," Aria purred, letting her bondmate's minor infraction pass as she watched Shepard release Liara's throat, "that's going to leave a nice bruise..."

Shepard gave Tevos's body a very obvious up-and-down. "Not as big as the one just above Thea's left breast." Even with Liara's fingers practically flying over her clit, she couldn't miss the way Tevos trembled at her words. Realizing that she had hit on something, Shepard seized the opening. "How did it get there?"

Aria didn't need any prompting to play along. "The fifth day of our honeymoon." She prodded the mark, enjoying the way her lover arched into the touch. "We were in a hokey themed bar, and a few of the tourists were eyeing her. I dragged her to the bathroom... It was so pretty that I couldn't bear to let it fade, so I touched it up yesterday afternoon."

"Is that when you gave her the bruises over her hips?" Liara asked, ignoring the slight burn that ran along the tendons in her wrist. She had a pretty good idea what had caused the finger-shaped blemishes.

"Mm, I made those a few hours later, while I was taking her from behind on her hands and knees. She wanted it harder, so I needed something to grip." Aria extended the last couple of words, annunciating each syllable much the way Tevos did when she was making an important point. She let her hand drag down along the twitching muscles of Tevos's stomach, stroking the dusky purple marks she had put there the day before.

Shepard managed to force out one more question before Liara's clever hand drove her out of her mind. "The break at the corner of her lip? Did she do that, or did you?"

"I did that," Aria said proudly. The sound of buzzing stopped for a moment as she brushed the pads of her fingers over the slightly painful split at the edge of Tevos's lower lip. "When I came inside of her the third time... She screamed, I kissed her... I guess I bit down too hard."

As she ran her thumb over soft, pliant lips, she pulled Tevos's mind into hers, clasping it tight and binding their souls together. Aria let out a trembling sigh despite herself. She loved that brief moment of fear and resistance, when all of Tevos's emotions spiked before she recognized the touch of her bondmate and gave in, dropping all of her defenses and giving herself over. That sort of submission was intoxicating.

Tevos's vision began to blur as she lost herself in the meld. A barrage of images flashed before her eyes, a mixture of yesterday's session with Aria's favorite toy and the things they had shared tonight.

_- face to face with Aria, a familiar weight and warmth on top of her... But not alone in this memory. Being watched from the opposite couch, eyes burning through her skin – Sharp, quivering release. Warmth filling her; endless, greedy twitching... Blunt teeth nipping at the corner of her mouth before taking her lips in a brutal kiss and -_

She opened her mouth, pulling the small split tight, purposely making it hurt just a little in reminder as Aria's hand began vibrating again and cupped back between her legs. She parted easily around Aria's fingers, letting two of them slide all the way up to the knuckle in one smooth push. She was embarrassingly wet, and the thought that Shepard and Liara could tell made her burn with embarrassment and wild, unrestrained desire. Aria's thoughts began speaking urgently in her head, whispering all the dirty, stomach-twisting things she knew that Tevos wasn't quite ready to share with Shepard and Liara. Maybe someday soon, when they tried this again, but not yet. _'You weren't expecting to need it so bad, were you, my little slut? Fantasizing about being fucked like this is one thing, but now you're about to come all over my hand in front of a_ very_ appreciative audience, and you have absolutely no control over it...' _

Aria paused, and there was a brief flash of uncertainty behind her black eyes before she forged ahead. Words weren't the same as actions, after all. She decided to take a risk. _'If I wasn't such a possessive woman, I'd let one of them meld with you... just for a moment, so they could capture all the thoughts running through your head. So they could have just a small taste of how much you love being used. Owned. Fucked. Unfortunately, I've always been selfish. I don't like to share my toys.'_

When Tevos finally responded, it was out loud. "Please..." she begged, breaking her silence, "kiss me..."

She felt her head being pulled down, her shoulder and neck muscles straining as she was contorted into an uncomfortable position. She felt biotics ripple along her back, and realized that Liara was moving her, pushing her within reach of Aria's lips. Aria's teeth fastened on the same little cut they had made the day before, soothing it with a soft tongue before taking the rest of her mouth. The vibrations humming through her fingers surged, buzzing over Tevos's sensitive ridge, and the councilor screamed into Aria's kiss as her inner walls clamped down, pulsing with release.

"Holy fuck," Shepard groaned, wincing at the sudden throb between her legs as she watched Tevos and Aria come a second time, bathed in blue and purple light. "Liara... your hand, I need –"

Normally, Liara would have been all too eager to continue pleasuring Shepard, but she noticed that her singularity was beginning to fade. With great reluctance, she pulled her hand away and lowered Tevos into Aria's waiting arms instead. The two of them collapsed on the couch, with Aria panting for breath as she held the limp, shuddering form of her bondmate. "Oh Goddess, that was good," she said, her normally smooth, seductive voice throaty with overuse. She began stroking Tevos's cheek, tenderly caressing the line of her jaw. "Just give us a minute, she needs a little aftercare..."

Knowing that her lover usually hated being empty after such a powerful orgasm, Aria eased two fingers back inside of her, giving her a few moments to readjust. Tevos gasped, but accepted the penetration gratefully and let her eyes drift shut. Only when Tevos's body went completely slack did Aria notice the pained expression on Shepard's face. "Don't mind us, feel free to finish what you started. Unless you want to wait until we've recovered and join us for a bath. The tub is more than big enough for four, and the jets are worth every credit..."

Shepard rubbed her thighs together for a moment, obviously very uncomfortable. "Later. Can't wait for that," she forced out through clenched teeth, sitting up on her knees. "Liara, lie down. I need your tongue again."

Immediately understanding what Shepard had in mind, Liara stretched out on the divan and propped one of the tiny throw pillows underneath her neck. Shepard wasted no time straddling her head, ignoring the way her right thigh rubbed against the back of the couch. "Goddess, yes," Liara murmured as she wrapped her arms around Shepard's hips, urging her closer. "Please let me taste you – I need..." The asari didn't have time to complete her thought, because Shepard finished settling over her mouth, and both of them sighed with what sounded like relief. Doing this for Shepard was beyond enjoyable – it was almost a compulsive need.

"Well, she's awfully enthusiastic," Aria teased, dropping a few soft kisses along the line of Tevos's throat. She didn't bite down this time and explored the abused flesh with her lips and tongue instead.

"Watching that makes me want to lick you for the next year or so," Tevos murmured from Aria's lap, squeezing down on the fingers that were still embedded within her and nuzzling her cheek against Aria's soft shoulder. Once she recovered, she hoped Aria would let her do just that. In the meantime, she enjoyed watching the play of muscle under Shepard's skin and the way Liara's hips bucked and rolled against empty air. Obviously, she and Shepard had melded again, because the rhythm of their movements was mostly synchronized.

When Liara's tongue began painting feather light strokes over her clit, both of Shepard's arms shot out and gripped the arm and back of the couch. Liara's gentle mouth seemed intent on finishing what her hand had started. "Fuck, I didn't want to come this fast..." Shepard protested, but her body had other ideas. She was strung tight as a bow after watching Tevos and Aria, and Liara knew exactly how to make her unravel at the seams.

The next minute was a battle of wills as Shepard tried her best to savor the heavenly sensations of Liara's tongue for as long as possible, and Liara sought out every single one of her bondmate's weak spots, grazing the shaft of her clit with just a hint of teeth before sliding her tongue down to swirl around Shepard's entrance. _'Coming now doesn't mean you can't have more orgasms later, dear heart,'_ Liara said across their joined minds, opening herself further and trying to make Shepard understand how badly she wanted it.

Unfortunately, Shepard's determination held both of them back. _'You – just wanna try out... the Jacuzzi...'_ Even through the meld, her words were disjointed and breathless. _'Selfish.'_

_'I am selfish. I love everything about this. The way you smell, the way you taste, the way you twitch under my tongue and then press down even harder... the extra burst of warmth and slickness against my mouth when I finally make – you – come...' _Liara felt a pang of longing from Shepard, and for a moment, she thought she would get what she wanted, but although Shepard's hands tightened on the arm of the couch, she managed to stay just shy of the edge.

With a hint of frustration, Liara realized that more drastic measures were called for. Knowing that she would probably be punished for it later, but too desperate to care, she removed one of her hands from Shepard's hip and slid it between her legs.

"Ah, Christ," Shepard growled as Liara's tongue began to press inside of her. Even with the meld active, it took her a moment to realize that the fingers pinching her clit were actually working between Liara's legs. Even though she knew the visual would probably be too much, Shepard used the support of her right arm to look back over her shoulder, twisting her body so that she could confirm what she already knew. Liara's hand was humming with biotics, obviously inspired by Aria's earlier performance, and aided by the rapid movement of her wrist.

Shepard's last coherent thought before she came was that Liara wasn't touching herself the way she preferred. She had automatically adopted Shepard's favorite stroke and rhythm instead of her own.

"See?" Tevos said, pressing intermittent kisses to the side of Aria's face as Shepard and Liara recovered, "I told you this was a good idea. That might have been the sexiest thing I've ever witnessed."

"Do you hear me complaining?" Aria muttered. Surprisingly, she had been the one with the most doubts about this arrangement. Sex, even group sex, wasn't new to her, but being bonded was, and she was still getting a feel for how to navigate through complicated situations as part of a couple.

There was a muffled sound from the other couch, and Shepard shifted away from Liara's face on rubbery legs. "Sorry, what?"

"I said... I'm not complaining either."

"You will be complaining in a few minutes," said Shepard, giving Liara a disapproving frown. "You broke several of our rules just now, and you'll need to be punished for it."

Liara wiggled into a sitting position, casually sucking on her fingers and crossing her legs. "Mm?"

Shepard deliberately ignored her. "So, Aria, is your offer still open? I want to try out those jets you mentioned... on Liara. I'm curious how long she can sit in front of one without the meld."

All three of them laughed at Liara's sharp cry of dismay.

. . .

The next morning, Liara woke up beside a warm, naked, and unfamiliar body. One of her knees was draped over Tevos's thigh, and Aria's right hand was resting beside her forearm. "Good morning, Liara," Tevos said without opening her eyes, shifting her cheek to a cooler spot on the pillow as Aria snuggled closer. "You seem to have misplaced your bondmate. She wandered off about half an hour ago."

Instinctively, Liara reached out for Shepard on her other side, but the space next to her was empty. She wondered briefly whether her wife's initial discomfort with sharing a bed had resurfaced, but quickly dismissed that idea. Liara had possessed enough foresight to warn Shepard in advance, and the human seemed to accept it after she explained that the asari were a communal species and sleeping together was a common practice, sex notwithstanding. She certainly hadn't seemed to care the night before, Liara remembered. Of course, she had been otherwise occupied at the time... And afterwards, Shepard had been so tired that she even managed to sleep through Tevos and Aria's middle-of-the-night quickie.

"That reminds me, Thea," Liara said, stretching her arms over her head and popping her back, "your bondmate owes me a hundred credits."

"Reminds you of what?"

"Oh, I apologize... sometimes my brain keeps going and I expect the conversation to follow. Aria didn't believe me when I told her Shepard could sleep through anything, and then she –"

"I remember," Tevos interrupted, her voice thick with sleep. Actually, what she remembered most was the wonderful sensation of Aria's tongue, but she was too polite to mention it.

Her reminiscences were interrupted when the door swished open and a heavenly scent filled the bedroom. Shepard stood in the doorway with full arms and a lopsided grin, naked except for a pair of black boxer shorts. "Good morning, ladies. Hope you're hungry."

"Goddess, that smells delicious," Tevos said, inhaling deeply. She gave Liara's bare knee a gentle squeeze, but kept her eyes shut. "Please tell me some of that food is for me."

She felt Liara shift next to her, maneuvering into a sitting position. "My gorgeous, wonderful bondmate is currently carrying two trays with double portions. I assume one of them is for you and Aria."

"Nnnuh," Aria mumbled into Tevos's shoulder, hooking an elbow around her thin waist and hiding her face from the light.

The councilor opened her eyes and blushed slightly, adjusting her arm so that Aria could pull closer. "Sorry... she gets cuddly in the morning until..."

"Until?" Shepard asked, setting one of the trays down on Liara's lap.

"Until I indulge her with a quick morning orgasm or pry her off of me because one of us is late for work."

Shepard laughed and set the other tray on Tevos's lap. "Well, maybe the smell of food will wake her up in a few minutes. When a woman manages to coax three gorgeous asari into her bed at once, she'd better be smart enough to cook them breakfast the next morning."

"Aside from the fact that this is Aria's bed, you make an excellent point. What am I about to eat, exactly?" Tevos asked, looking down at the plate in front of her. "This must be some kind of egg, but I don't recognize the meat."

"Bacon and scrambled eggs," Shepard said proudly. "One of the most delicious but unhealthy Earth breakfasts. Being the Queen of Omega has its perks. I sent one of Aria's errand-boys out to pick up the ingredients. He couldn't find any ground pepper, but I substituted some of the seasonings she already had in her pantry."

Tevos couldn't resist the mouth-watering scent any longer. She picked up her fork and dove into the eggs, which were still steaming. "Thank you, Shepard," she said after swallowing a mouthful. "This is wonderful. You're very considerate."

Shepard winked. "I even did the other dishes."

Liara laughed and scooted closer to Tevos, enjoying the shared body heat and patting the empty space on her other side. "You've always been a charmer, Shepard. Now, sit down and help me eat this bacon."

Although she obeyed Liara's instructions and sat down, Shepard didn't reach for her own fork. "I want you to finish most of this, Liara. Dr. Chakwas said you needed at least eight hundred extra calories."

"It's a good thing I'm hungry then," said Liara, piling some more eggs onto her fork.

"Planning on another biotic workout later today?" Tevos asked. "That's a lot of food. Unless..." When Liara blushed and Shepard choked slightly around a mouthful of bacon, she put two and two together. "Oh Goddess, I had no idea. Congratulations!"

"We've only told a few of our old crewmates... Garrus, Tali, and Miranda Lawson," Liara said as Shepard reached across the tray for a glass of juice.

"Of course, since we told Tali, who knows how long it will stay a secret..." Shepard muttered under her breath.

Liara continued speaking and pretended not to hear the unflattering comment, although she had to admit that there was some truth to it. "Even my father doesn't know I'm pregnant yet."

The word 'pregnant' had an immediate and dramatic effect on Aria, who shot upright in bed and nearly knocked over Tevos's tray. "Wait, what? Pregnant? How?"

Liara shot Aria a scathing look as Shepard held the glass of juice protectively to her chest. "How do you think, Aria?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "If last night's demonstration wasn't enough to explain the facts of life to you, I doubt you'll ever learn."

"Don't be a smartass," Aria grumbled, trying to calm her racing heart. "I was dozing off, and then I heard the word 'pregnant'. Can you blame me for panicking?" She paused for a moment, apparently lost in thought as her adrenaline spike began to wear off. "I just realized that I got off watching a pregnant asari get fucked last night. Awkward..."

Tevos rolled her eyes, unimpressed by Aria's apparent distress. "Oh, stop being so melodramatic. You didn't even know she was pregnant until this morning."

"But... she's..." Aria gestured at Liara's midsection, which was mostly covered by blankets. Liara tried to give her a reproachful glare, but in the end, she couldn't hide her smile. It wasn't often that she got to see Aria so uncomfortable.

"You still find Liara attractive, don't you?"

Aria narrowed her eyes, but answered the obviously loaded question anyway. "Of course I do. I'm more attracted to you, but yes, she's gorgeous. That doesn't change the fact that –"

"Would you still find me desirable if I was pregnant?"

"What? I guess so. But you're not pregnant, right? Please tell me you're not pregnant..."

"By the Goddess, Aria, you were pregnant not so long ago. Why does it bother you so much?"

Aria opened and closed her mouth, trying to find words, but eventually, she gave up. "It doesn't bother me," she mumbled, stealing Tevos's abandoned fork and starting on her half of the eggs.

"I'm _so_ glad I have your approval," Liara said as she watched Shepard chew a large mouthful of bacon. "Oh, that's incredibly attractive, Shepard."

The human struggled to swallow, but once she did, she gave Liara a reprimanding pinch to the side of her arm. "Hey, don't drag me into this catfight. I know Aria is usually the one that baits you, but if I catch you starting anything with her this morning, I'll turn your ass purple and let her pick the number of blows and the tool I use."

Aria lifted her hands in protest. "Don't say that. Spankings are practically a reward for her! She'll drive me crazy until we make good on your threat."

Shepard smirked. "And your point is?"

"What, exactly, am I going to be doing for the duration of Liara's 'punishment'?" Tevos asked, lifting the tray off her lap and setting it on the nightstand even though neither of them had finished eating.

Aria didn't even need to think about her answer. "Blowing me." Tevos climbed over Aria's legs and out of bed in a matter of seconds.

"Damn. That was fast," Shepard said, lifting her eyebrows in surprise. "I guess she approves of that idea."

Tevos ignored the jibe, heading for the door at a quick walking pace. "Do you want your purple strap-on from the nightstand, or the black turian model from downstairs?" she called back without turning around. "Oh, and what should I bring up from the dungeon?"

"You have... a dungeon?" Liara stammered. "Shepard and I always joked about that, but we didn't actually believe it..."

"Mostly for business associates and Janiris parties now. Thea and I never use the equipment in there except for the Nos Astra Doublebar. Most of the spanking implements are mounted on the wall, though." She gave Liara a long look. "I think we've even got a paddle with 'bitch' carved through it just for you."

"Not in a million years, Aria T'Loak," Liara blurted out. If she let Aria select that paddle, she knew she would never hear the end of it.

Shepard burst out laughing. "One that won't leave letters, please, Aria."

"Oh fine," Aria huffed, pretending to be disappointed. She spared a glance at Shepard's arms, considering for a moment before making her decision. "Rosewood, then. Leather would be too... nice." Knowing what she did about Shepard and Liara's sex life, she suspected that both of them could handle an unforgiving material just fine.

The next sound the three of them heard was the door closing, and Liara jumped, the muscles in her ass clenching automatically. "I think your bondmate just broke land speed records," Shepard drawled. "Hey, Liara, pass me the rest of that bacon before she gets back, would you? I think I'm gonna need it."

**The End**


End file.
